Adam LaRoche News

Following a tradition established by Giants legend Willie McCovey, Travis Ishikawa was named first baseman Wednesday on the 51st annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star team.

Every Little League you've ever seen has the overgrown kid with the bunched-up uniform who crushes baseballs.

There are currently 170 free agents. John Grabow was the 171st, but that was before signing with the Cubs right after the list became official.

Arizona Notable free agents: SP Doug Davis Needs: SP, RP, 1B, defense Topping the to-do list: With about $15 million to spend, and a lot of holes -- but if we're being specific, they need help hitting and pitching.

Outside of Roy Halladay, the player we are most likely to hear involved in trade rumors is Florida Marlins 2B Dan Uggla.

As the Braves and other teams explore trade and free-agent possibilities, many wrestle with a situation prevalent in baseball's changed economic landscape.

Former Braves pitcher John Smoltz and four members of last year's squad were among 79 players who filed for free agency Thursday, the first possible day.

Adrian Gonzalez hit 40 home runs last season for San Diego. The last time the Braves made one of those, "The future is now," trades, John Schuerholz sent a bundle of prospects to the Texas Rangers for Mark Teixeira .

So, we've already gotten through the Adam LaRoche situation . Now, let's talk about the guys the Braves could be shipping out for some hole-filling. Here are the guys who shoul be on the block from the Braves' '09 payroll.

With the World Series coming to a close on Wednesday, yesterday marked the first day players with six or more years of major league service could file for free agency.

When baseball's general managers begin to gather Sunday night for their annual meetings, they'll be at a Chicago airport hotel and not a typically swank resort.

While the Braves were able to confirm Friday that they have signed right-handed reliever Scott Proctor to a Minor League contract, they will have to wait until Tim Hudson returns to Atlanta before finalizing the three-year contract extension they have offered.

When the regular season concluded, first baseman Adam LaRoche and left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez were hopeful that they'd have the opportunity to return to the Braves.

Being home with his family during baseball season is nice, but pitcher Tim Hudson said he wouldn't have agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Braves for that alone.

As Braves general manager Frank Wren prepares for the 2010 season, he finds himself dealing with the surplus created by last year's successful rotation-reconstruction process and facing the reality that he may need to find a new closer.

If you believe Dave O'Brien, Mark Bowman, and the ever-so-unreliable Ken Rosenthal, Tim Hudson is set to sign a three-year extension with the Atlanta Braves in the neighborhood of $27 million.

With about 3000 tickets sold for the Ropin' & Rockin' for Pennies for the Park, the Youth Activities Team has signed a deal with Ticketmaster to reach a broader audience.

Rockies played horrible, Dodgers played horrible, Cardinals played horrible; the Braves may have made it to the World Series, but it was that whole business of getting into the playoffs first.

Israel Vazquez overcame a rocky start and a nasty cut to stop Angel Priolo on Saturday night in the ninth round of Vazquez's comeback fight from a 19-month ring absence.

Who among them will be back with Braves? Two everyday players, both closers and a valuable cog to the rotation.